-=> Quoting Dan Triplett to Charles Beams <=-
 DT> Forget the argument about blacks.  When someone brings up the subject
 DT> of  racial segregation and ties it into sex segregation then there is
 DT> no  argument.  Racial segregation is morally wrong.  But when you are
 DT> speaking of a single sex school, the purpose is not to exclude one
 DT> sex.   One would have to admit that a single-sex school can focus on
 DT> things in  different ways than can a coed facility.
But one could argue the same thing about an all-black or all-white
school, the purpose being not to exclude one race, but to enhance
the education of the included race. I don't see any real difference
once you strip away all the historical background. I think the crux
of the matter is when a segregated school (of whatever sex or color)
eliminates the opportunity for the excluded sex or color to enjoy
the same quality of education, the same resources, and the same
quality of teacher. During the "affirmative action" movement a few
years ago, no one was more employable or educable than a black,
physically handicapped woman; equally or better qualified white,
single males were denied an equal opportunity.
 DT> There are many coed educational facilities in this country to choose
 DT> from. I see nothing wrong with having a Citadel where only men
 DT> attend. Men and women are different in many ways and I don't see
 DT> society having  the obligation to try to make those differences less
 DT> apparent.
The problem being that historically there are far fewer female-oriented
institutions, so women would be denied an equal opportunity to whatever
is offered at such an institution based solely on what, historic precedent?
Back in the early 70s I spent three summers in the Fort Henry Guard,
a recreation of the garrison at Fort Henry during the 1800s. This is
an elite unit (the only Canadian unit with which the US Marine Silent
Drill Platoon does a combined show), and it was an all-male, hell on
earth place to work, as tough as any boot camp. Which we accepted,
since its purpose was to portray the life of an all-male garrison
150 years ago.
But as the years went by, the place softened up considerably. The
province changed the employees' status to "classified civil servant",
and then there came a bunch of health and safety regulations: no more
stamping of the heel (as was customary in British Army drill); reduced
hours spent in full uniform (thick Melton wool tunics), simplified
gun drills, whereby most of the heavy work with the 34-pounders was
done before the actual drill so the risk of pulling a muscle was
reduced (these are 4,000 lb guns); ear plugs became mandatory; and so
on. Then the new management decided to turn the place into a Disneyworld,
and kids were paraded around in uniforms with little toy rifles. Fort
Henry was becoming a joke. And then it was decided that women should
be employed to march with the Fifes and Drums, and in the Drill Squad
-- a Drill Squad where for decades all guardsmen had to fall within 6'
and 6' 6" in height, within a specified weight, no eye glasses permitted,
and where each spring 10 or so new Drill Squad members were carefully
selected from 350 recruits.
Today the fort is an object of ridicule. It no longer serves the
purpose for which it was originally intended, and is just another
gimmicky little tourist trap with expensive souvenirs and "guardsmen"
of all shapes, sexes, and sizes, with all the military bearing and
demeanor of parking lot attendants. The Marines no longer parade with
them. Here is an example where an all-male staff was warranted, because
maintaining a tradition was the whole point of the fort's existence.
There was no training for future employment going on here, no program of
higher education which women were being denied. That's where I make
the distinction: is the work force or student body to be same-sexed
because the place exists solely to portray an earlier time? If not,
then most likely an equal opportunity is being denied for no good
reason.
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